Forest of Death;
Ryan stood amid a hellish scene, his eyes wide as he stared at the devastated ground.
The remains of Bloodthirsty Cat Demons littered the area, their bodies charred, twisted, or reduced entirely to ash.
He lowered his gaze to the Remnant Sword clenched tightly in his hand, disbelief flickering across his face.
"I knew it..."
The Mountain Splitting finisher truly required a weapon.
Not only that, but wielding the Remnant Sword had amplified its power to a terrifying degree. Compared to when he used the technique barehanded, the destructive force had more than doubled.
The area affected by the landslide was no longer limited to ten meters by ten meters.
It had expanded to at least thirteen meters in every direction, and the magma surged more violently, the flames hotter and more ferocious.
The moment the earth split open, countless third-level Bloodthirsty Cat Demons were incinerated almost instantly, their bodies collapsing into ash.
Even those on the edge of the blast radius fared no better. Scalded by extreme heat and battered by shockwaves, they lay twitching on the ground with their lives rapidly draining away.
Almost the entire horde was annihilated.
At the center of it all, Poison Elvis, the fourth-level monster king, was still alive—but barely.
Its once-dominant form was scorched and bleeding, its limbs trembling uncontrollably.
Gone was the arrogance of a territorial king.
Now, its blood-red eyes stared at Ryan with pure terror.
For the first time since its birth, Poison Elvis understood fear.
The human before it was not prey.
He was a calamity.
In Ryan's eyes, Poison Elvis was not merely a dangerous fourth-ranked monster. It was a Boss.
And anyone who had ever played a game knew exactly what that meant.
Bosses meant rare equipment, powerful artifacts, and a surge of experience points that could send one's level soaring.
And fear?
That was something reserved for the weak.
To Ryan, letting a Boss escape was the same as throwing treasure into a river and watching it drift away.
His fingers tightened around the hilt of the Remnant Shadow Sword. The playful calm from moments ago vanished, replaced by a sharp, predatory focus. His eyes hardened, locking onto Poison Elvis like a hunter fixing his sights on wounded prey.
Poison Elvis felt it instantly.
The moment Ryan stepped forward, the monster's massive body shuddered.
Its scarlet eyes flickered violently, terror rippling through them like cracks in shattered glass.
Without even attempting to roar or posture, the so-called king of this territory turned and fled. Its body blurred into afterimages as it bolted away at full speed, abandoning all dignity and authority.
A fourth-ranked monster running for its life.
If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have sworn their eyes were deceiving them.
But Ryan only sneered.
With a sharp exhale, he activated Phantom Step, his figure flickering as he exploded forward in pursuit.
Experience points were running away in front of him, and that was something he would never tolerate.
As he closed the distance, the Remnant Shadow Sword flashed repeatedly.
Any Bloodthirsty Cat Demon that failed to keep up or stumbled into his path was cut down without mercy.
Third-ranked monsters that once inspired fear in ordinary warriors were now no more threatening than weeds before a blade.
Their tough hides split open under his strikes, and their bodies collapsed one after another.
Ryan couldn't help but feel a strange sense of irony.
Not long ago, Poison Elvis had been an untouchable overlord, forcing him to flee and plan carefully.
Now the roles were completely reversed.
He was the one chasing, and Poison Elvis was the prey. If word of this spread, no one would believe it.
A 16-year-old hunting down the king of a fourth-rank monster zone? Anyone hearing that would laugh it off as madness.
Poison Elvis glanced back, its eyes wide with panic. A sharp hiss tore from its throat as it poured every ounce of strength into escape.
That hiss changed everything.
At once, the remaining Bloodthirsty Cat Demons reacted.
Instead of continuing to flee, they skidded to a halt, turned around, and charged straight at Ryan.
They no longer cared about survival. Their claws flashed, their movements reckless and savage, as they threw themselves forward with suicidal resolve.
They were buying time.
Even in the face of annihilation, they chose to sacrifice themselves so their king could escape.
Ryan paused for the briefest instant, genuine surprise flickering across his face. "What a race…" he muttered. Facing extinction, these monsters chose loyalty over life. It was, in a twisted way, admirable.
Grinding his teeth, Ryan stepped forward again.
The Remnant Shadow Sword danced in his right hand, while his left palm struck out relentlessly.
Heavenly Star Palm erupted again and again, each blow carrying overwhelming force.
Every palm strike crushed one or two Bloodthirsty Cat Demons outright, their bodies shattering under the impact. The sword flashed between strikes, slashing and tearing through those that tried to swarm him.
The monsters were frenzied, bloodthirsty, and desperate, but against Ryan's Phantom Step, their efforts were laughable.
Their attacks tore through afterimages, claws swiping through empty air.
They could not slow him, could not block his advance, and could not even touch him.
Ryan advanced like an unstoppable war chariot, crushing everything in his path.
The only thing that irritated him was the lack of proper sword techniques.
The Remnant Shadow Sword was powerful, but without a matching sword art, it could not unleash its full potential.
Compared to Heavenly Star Palm, which could kill with a single strike, the sword often only wounded instead of finishing the job. That dissatisfaction burned quietly in his chest.
Still, he was not worried.
Gear, techniques, rewards… those always dropped from Bosses.
And Poison Elvis was still alive.
With each step, the number of monsters blocking his way dwindled rapidly.
One by one, they fell, until only a single figure remained ahead of him.
Poison Elvis ran unsteadily now, its injuries finally catching up. Its massive body trembled, its breathing ragged and uneven.
Victory was within reach.
Ryan surged forward once more, closing the distance to within three meters.
Just then, Poison Elvis came to an abrupt halt.
Its body tensed like a drawn bow, and a vicious gleam flashed through its terrified eyes. In the next instant, its jaws opened wide, and a thick cloud of green mist erupted outward.
*Sshaaaa*
The poisonous fog expanded violently, forming a dense wall between Ryan and the monster.
In mere seconds, it spread several meters in every direction.
Wherever the mist touched, grass withered, flowers blackened, and trees decayed as if their life force were being sucked away. The sight was horrifying.
Ryan's pupils shrank sharply. His heart dropped.
"Damn it!"
He had known Poison Elvis could release poisonous mist. The Sky Eye technique had warned him.
But intoxicated by the chase and the certainty of victory, he had let his guard down.
This was the monster's final, desperate counterattack.
At such close range, dodging completely was impossible.
Ryan reacted instantly, raising his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose as his body twisted sharply.
His Phantom Step activated at full force, his figure snapping sideways as he forced his way out of the densest part of the fog.
Even so, it was not enough.
The poison seeped in.
A sharp dizziness slammed into his head, his vision spinning as his limbs turned heavy and numb.
His strength began to drain rapidly, the toxin eating away at his combat power.
"F**k..."